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Cleansing of San Larion
'Actual events' In 351.M41 fierce civilian riots broke out on San Larion. The Ghosts of Retribution responded to the world's call for aid, and dispatched half of the Fifth Company under Lieutenant Kronos to pacify the rioters. All contact was lost with the force just a few days after they arrived. Chapter Master along with a larger force of marines investigated, and they discovered that the world was heavily tainted by a Genestealer Cult. Sergeant Hasvar tracked 6 of the missing brothers to an abandoned church deep in the remote San Larian countryside. Thousands of genestealer hybrids were waiting in ambush but they were all but wiped-out by thunderhawk attack runs. Vanguard Sergeant Ation led 30 marines into the church to recover their unconscious brothers, but they were ambushed by a mixture of hybrids and purestrain genestealers that had hidden in the basements and sewers of the large church. Several brothers were killed and Sergeant Ation severely wounded but the rest escaped with all 6 of the unconscious marines. However the Cult's Magus used its strong psychic power to control the mind of a thunderhawk pilot, compelling him to turn his weapons on the marines below. A further 9 brothers were killed by the friendly fire before the pilot was shaken from his compulsion, but fortunately the Magus itself was killed by the intense mental strain controlling an astartes requires. With losses mounting unacceptable fast for such an unimportant world, Chapter Master organised a frontal assault of the Cult's Stronghold (its location learned from an unlucky hybrid that wa captured). Pushing forward with heavy armour and terminators, the stronghold was purged and the patriarch slaughtered. Captain Brethorius was savagely wounded in single combat with an Alpha-grade genestealer, but the hardy marine survived. With the cult purged resources could be put into finding Kronos and the rest of the missing marines. Kronos himslf was found alive, having battled genestealers nonstop for weeks. However of the 50 marines sent with him only 19 had survived (including the 6 recovered from the church). Shortly after the defeat of the Patriarch the Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Laertos Karr arrived to San Larion, responding to the Chapter's message that they had discovered a genestealer cult. The Ghosts of Retribution left behind a handful of Astartes to help keep San Larion stable in the following years, whilst Karr screened the population for infection - sterilising those found to be host to the taint - and investigated the genestealer cult's origins and how far it may have spread. 'After Effects' Inquisition Inquisitor Laertos Karr as the ranking inquisitor on the planet had authority to decide how the genestealer infestation was to be dealt. After consultation with the Ghost of Retribution Space Marine Chapter who killed the patriarch of the cult and after some field work confirming that the genestealer cult was still in its infant stages decided to take a gentler approach compared to his usual methods. During the cleansing itself, the Chapter Master of the Ghost of Retribution, one of the most powerful sanctioned psykers in the Sector Deus managed to rip vital information from the mind of the genestealer patriarch on the true extent of the genestealer cult revealing that they were only centred on the core of the colony which encompassed only a fraction of the entire planet. This greatly aided the inquisitor in planning on the scope and limitation of his work. A time consuming planetary scan or purge of the population was not needed. He could quickly finish up the bulk of his work on the planet and leave to pursue some of the already promising leads on the wider genestealer infestation his agents have brought to his attention. Aside from hunting down the pure strain and hybrids, those infected were merely sterilized and moved to work camps where they could be watched for the rest of their lives. This was extended even beyond the fringes of the imperial colony where the non-imperial tribes were scanned for infected. The confrontational manner of these Imperial expeditions almost always resulted in an armed conflict though with the massive difference in quantity and quality of the imperial regiments and the local forces, casualties on the imperial side were few if any and these expeditions were completed with the professionalism, speed and efficiency the Athenian regiments were known for. The inquisitor in addition to his pursuit of genestealers undertook an effort to rebuild the imperial colony. Not wishing to unduly antagonize the Sector Lord, instead of taking large numbers of people from hive worlds to repopulate the colony, the inquisitor concentrated on skilled specialist to make up for those lost or infected. As for the bulk of the new population these came from the non-imperials that were screened and found to be free from taint. As the cult had a minimal presence on the fringes of the colony meant that the vast bulk of the non-imperials survived to be enslaved. The vast majority of these new slaves toil in the fields or mines. Imperial preachers are present to exhort them to induct them into the imperial cult and to serve their new God better. While shock collars are a popular choice for the new slaves, the White Preachers have developed a collar that can in addition to shocking its wearer also deliver a variety of drugs made from the local flora and fauna. These drugs range from those that can immediately kill or stun to ones that induce great pain, known locally as the God Emperor’s Rebuke for its ability to strike down its wearer without seeming to so much as to leave a scratch on the body. Viceroy Due to the inquisitor’s actions the Viceroy Don Siempre de Esforzarse has been able to rebuild again and become the most powerful man on the planet. However the difference between him and the next most powerful noble is but a small gap and the relationship between him and the nobility has now shifted from lord and vassal to merely first among his peers. Worse is part of the reason that the Viceroy barely edges out his competition in power is the recent marriage alliance with the Gaddrian Dynasty essentially making the young Lord Gaddrian a potential successor. This move was not welcomed by the Viceroy’s own heir and it is foreseen that a civil war will happen in the future due to this but for the present the added strength is considered worth the potential dangers in the future. The Gaddrian Dynasty house troops are considered by many to be much fiercer than the usual rabble with their long history of successfully defending their part of imperial territory from Tsai Confederacy raids despite being on the fringes where such raids often prove to be troublesome. Goldenbaum Dynasty The closest noble dynasty to reach the de Esforzarse in power is the Goldenbaum Dynasty, a haughty and proud bloodline due to their lineage dating all the way back to Terran nobility at the start of the Great Crusade. They were exiled when they made one too many publicly loud unflattering comments about the Ursus Dynasty and their status as a young dynasty. On San Larion the Goldenbaums technically are the strongest even compared to the Viceroy but they are plagued by division with their strength split between two rivals Otho von Braunschweig and Wilhelm von Littenheim. That the leading members of the Goldenbaums do not even possess a drop of Goldenbaum blood but married into the dynasty is often strenuously ignored. These men have the Goldebaum pride and arrogance by proclaiming themselves Duke and Marquis respectively when it became clear the Viceroy was greatly reduced in strength. Their decision during the initial colonization period to strike out far from the Viceroy’s own force has paid off as their relatively large lands located on the fringe of Imperial control were not devastated by the genestealer cult and the purge. In addition their close alliance with the White Preachers has given them access to many of their latest creations such as the local slave collar variant which the Goldenbaums has used to great effect. Working their slaves to the bone and reaping the profits which serve to rally more of the nobility to their side. The recently enslaved non-imperial tribes proved to be so profitable that the Goldenbaums have created a trend among the nobles to start abducting them on their own. San Larion Reform Movement The reformist have suffered and profited from the genestealer infestation. The moderate ones which espoused non-violence to achieve their goals were infected by the genestealers as they were as a group working with the governor in the core of the colony. The more radical ones were on the fringes of the colony and managed to survive. Seeing the chaos, the radicals began to congregate on Damita one of many backwater provinces of the colony and the exiled home of Triza Maria a famous reformist and a large population of radical reformist. The radicals at Damita were active in the province going back close to two decades even before the genestealers were uncovered, seducing the population with their ideas. Their reach became evident shortly after the cleansing when the local nobility of Damita province and their neighbours simultaneously had several young members of their dynasty revolt and overthrow the current rulers proclaiming their allegiance to the reformist cause. When the inquisitor finally arrived to the province it was at the back of the bulk of the Athenian regiments he had requisitioned. Surprisingly, violence did not break out and the scanning for infected went on without any large incidents and when the Athenians withdrew they only took with them those that were confirmed infected and no one else. People point to a meeting between the inquisitor and the leading reformist on the edge of the province before the regiments entered the province as the main cause of this lack of tension. After surviving Inquisitorial judgement unharmed, the reformist revealed another trump card. Radical republicans from Inaria have recently appeared in the province. These people though relatively few in number have the skills that are needed to build a prosperous Imperial society. These exiles possess a wide variety of skills such as medical, engineering or military knowledge. Tachion Primaris has made known its disapproval of these exiles fleeing to San Larion to the current Imperial Dictator of Inaria Glabius Zarikoff but he has declined to take action. In addition to the historic Tachion Primaris and Inaria rivalry souring relations, he is glad to be rid of these malcontents that constantly agitate against his rule. Large numbers of non-imperials on the fringe of Imperial territory have recently sworn allegiance to the God Emperor attracted as they were to the ability of the reformist to resist Tsai raids and provide peace and order. Currently, the reformist are consolidating their hold and fortifying against Tsai raids but it has been noted that there has not been a raid ever since the genestealer infestation was cleansed despite being in the most direct way of any raids. Tsai Confederacy The Tsai appears to be the real winners that profited most from Imperial weakness. The mass abductions of non-imperial tribes scared many to align or outright join them with the Tsai crushing those that opposed them in displays of strength. In addition, their level of technology has reached sufficient levels to create gunpowder and their army seems to have caught up to its navy in terms of professionalism.